Mesa County Health Department RFD-FD-15-018 Research & Related Other Project Information 7. Project Summary/Abstract Mesa County, Colorado is located on the western border of the state. With 147,811 residents, it is Western Colorado?s most populated county, and also acts as the region?s commerce and healthcare hub serving a population exceeding 300,000. The tourism industry continues to grow in the region (contributing more than $270 million in direct spending annually), thus the hospitality industry is an important contributor to the local economy. The Mesa County Health Department (MCHD) licenses 750 retail food establishments annually, including temporary event vendors and mobile units. Between 2010 and 2014, MCHD received 938 complaints from the community regarding retail food establishments that were followed up on by an environmental health specialist (EHS). The people who live, work, and play in Mesa County will benefit from advancing the conformance of the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards (VNS), aligning inspection and training programs to address the most common practices and behaviors that lead to foodborne illness. These efforts will ensure that retail food establishments are safer for consumers, decrease the incidence of foodborne illness at area establishments, and promote the health and wellness of community members. Requested funding will be used to meet five of the VNS standards by the end of the funding period in August 2020. At the end of the project, MCHD will have an operating structure that will have the ability to quickly identify problems and trends that can be addressed to reduce the occurrence of foodborne illness risk factors cited during inspections. Data will be used to characterize trends in the retail food industry and document the outcomes of MCHD interventions. MCHD?s vision when the proposed aims are achieved is for Mesa County to become an empowered food safe community utilizing methods, technologies, and preventative interventions that reduce foodborne illness risk factors at retail food establishments to improve community health and wellness.